6 months after arson, former Eagan town hall's future unknown

The century old town hall in Eagan, which contained historical displays and artifacts, was damaged by arson early Sept. 8, 2013. The fire apparently started in the rear of the building. (Pioneer Press: Emily Cutts)

The future of a highly visible symbol of Eagan's past remains up in the air.

Six months after an arsonist set the former town hall ablaze, city officials continue to consider what to do with the century-old building, used as a small museum with exhibits.

The city council has ruled out some ideas, including restoring the building entirely with vintage materials, or moving it to the Community Center/Central Park land.

One thing is clear: The town hall, built in June 1914 for about $1,000, is now a shell of its former shelf.

Situated across the street from Eagan's sprawling municipal campus, the 26-by-40-foot wooden structure was heavily damaged by the Sept. 8 arson fire. Nearly all the century-old glass windows and some historical displays were destroyed. The fire left a large hole in the roof and compromised the building's structural integrity.

It came as society members and city staff had just began planning for the building's centennial celebration.

"It was a very emotional thing to see," Kim Hazel, vice chair of the Eagan Historical Society, who rushed to the fire after seeing a report on TV news. "I was trying to figure out why it would have happened. It was just sad. We were all crying."

The double-whammy, she said, came when the fire department ruled it arson.

Hazel said she now prefers to recall the building's better days and look to its future.

"We had a lot of kids come in, classrooms and Boy Scouts, and they would look at all the pictures and comment about how there is no phone and only three light bulbs in the place," she said. "They would be in awe."

Despite the town hall's popularity, Joanna Foote, the city's communications coordinator and historical society liaison, told the city council last month at a workshop that its current site has several drawbacks, such as no bathroom, office area or storage space. The 1,000-square-foot building, she added, "was full to the gills."

One option before the council is rebuilding at the municipal campus with a mix of new and salvaged materials, such as the facade. The idea is that the site would capture more walk-up traffic and offer better security and amenities.

The cost, however, is not known, the city says.

Rebuilding on its current site with only new materials would cost about $131,000, while using all vintage materials would be two to three times higher, according to city estimates.

The city would receive about $86,000 from the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust after paying its $25,000 deductible.

Bob Herskovitz of the Minnesota Historical Society told the city council the building is not eligible for certain federal funds because it was not on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Unfortunately, with this process we've learned a lot more about what the benefits would have been had we been on the National Register, as far as grants and as far as those sorts of eligibilities," Foote told the council.

Tom Garrison, communications director for Eagan, later explained that the city did not pursue the historic designation for the building before the fire because the thought was that it was ineligible because it had been modified.

Meanwhile, council member Paul Bakken suggested the city look into reusing the former fire administration building in partnership with arts, culture and/or history groups. The building, near City Hall, has been vacant and for sale for several years.

"I'm just becoming less confident about the prospects of turning that facility on the private market at a price that makes sense for our taxpayers," Bakken said. "And if we have a need for program space and there are other partners who might come in and use some of that space and pay rent to the city, it might be easier to reuse a facility we already have than to build a brand-new one."